The end of the road with Pipes & Sticks on Route 66

Our venue for the recital was the local VFW hall. We opened the show playing a few tunes with tour hosts, the Southwest Skye Pipes & Drums. The crowd was terrific and we had a blast. All of us, especially the pipers, we’re feeling the effects of the 7,000-plus-feet altitude. A few beers go a long way in thin air. There were a few jokes from the locals about where we had parked the Sprinter that evening, and if it had been towed. By then it was funny . . . almost.

By the time we packed up all of the gear we were pretty starved. Most of the nearby eateries were already closed. Although we all started out at different times, we found ourselves gathered in the only restaurant open: a pita place that served up “umpteen” different pita combinations. Stuart managed to wolf down two of them. Finally sated we made our way back to the historic hotel with shared baths and creaky stairs, but we were all so tired we fell asleep as soon as our heads hit our pillows!